The Galaxy Note 5 is close to its latest official update as being a three-year old device the Samsung support will be soon ended. So, you should enjoy any official update opportunity you have because, once the Samsung support is stopped, you will be able to apply only custom ROMs such as Lineage OS, AOKP or Paranoid Android. Anyway, in South Korea the OEM currently offers a new OTA for the Note 5, a firmware which brings the August 2018 Security Patch.

The firmware should be automatically received in form of a new Android notification, or you can manually search for it by going to Settings - > Software update. The roll out will be soon released in other markets too, but until then you can choose to manually set it up by using Odin – only if you own the SM-N920C model of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

As usual, this monthly patches are coming with minor changes within the stock Android functionality. In our case, the August 2018 security patch is here to resolve some critical security issues and to add stability improvements for fixing recently reported bugs and unexpected crashes. Overall, we are discussing about a stable release which will try to ensure a smooth Nougat experience on your Galaxy Note 5 regardless of what processes you will choose to run.

Do note that the OTA can be received on your phone only if the official Android OS is already running – if a custom ROM was previously added, you can apply the August 2018 security patch only manually (and the same applies if your smartphone is rooted).

Now, if you do want to use Odin for manually installing this official roll out, don’t hesitate and follow the next section of this article.

August 2018 Security Patch officially released for Samsung Galaxy Note 5 – how to manually install the firmware

Using the manual update process can be useful in many ways:

It can help you test the latest Android release when the OTA isn’t yet available on your market, or when your phone was previously tweaked.

It can help you restore everything back to factory state: so, it can help you revoke tweaks – once the steps from below are applied you will revoke root access, reinstall the stock recovery image, relock the bootloader and reinstall the bloatware.

It can also refresh the Android UI and it can help you fix software related issues caused by unresponsive programs, malicious apps, malware or inappropriate tools.

Now that we shortly described the advantages of using a manual update process, we should discuss about the essential pre-requisites that should be first applied:

The backup is optional but recommended – only if problems occur you can lose personal files as otherwise Odin will protect your data during the update process.

A computer or a notebook will be needed and you should use a PC that runs on Windows – Odin is better optimized for this OS.

Your Galaxy Note 5 drivers must be first installed on your computer; if you don’t know from where to download the drivers, use the Samsung KIES toolkit.

Your smartphone must be used too as you will have to connect it with your computer; that’s why, on your phone the USB Debugging option must be enabled (this option is located under ‘menu - > settings - > developer options).

For enabling Developer Options you will have to tap repeatedly on Built Number (from About Phone) – tap on that option just until the ‘you are a developer’ prompt is returned.

Charge your handset before starting the August 2018 Security Patch update process – plug in the charger if the power is low (mainly, if it’s lower than 50%).

Of course, use the steps explained below only if you own the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 as the Android Nougat based update package is compatible only with this device.

Good; now follow the next steps for learning how to use Odin in order to set up the August 2018 Security Patch on your Galaxy Note 5:

On your computer go to this page and download Odin. Then, set up the flashing program on your computer by following on-screen prompts.

Afterwards, go here and download the August Security Patch that’s available for your Galaxy Note 5.

Save the update package on desktop, if possible in the same place as you installed Odin.

Run the flashing program on your computer and in the meantime reboot download mode on your smartphone: switch it off and then press the Power, Volume Down and Home buttons together.

Verify if, on Odin, the ‘added’ message is displayed and if the ID:COM section is yellow or blue; if you notice that these ‘messages’ aren’t displayed correctly, then choose to close Odin, remove the USB cable and reinstall your phone’s drivers before retrying.

Begin the flashing process by clicking on the AP button; when asked, load the firmware package that was downloaded earlier.

Note: on Odin make sure that the Re Partition and Auto Reboot fields aren’t selected.

Next, click on Start and just sit back and relax while the update operation is performed.

When you see the ‘pass’ message displayed (the ID:COM field should be green at this moment) you can disconnect your Galaxy Note 5 from your computer.

In the end, reboot your smartphone and enjoy the latest official update released for your device.

Final thoughts

Sometimes, due to unexpected problems, in the end your phone might get stuck and a boot loop can get displayed. Unfortunately, this issue can be addressed only by making a hard reset and by clearing app data cache. Thus, if a boot loop, or a similar malfunction occurs go ahead and: enter recovery mode on your Galaxy Note 5 (use the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons combination) and from there choose these options: ‘wipe data factory reset’ followed by ‘wipe cache partition’. In the end, from main menu of recovery select ‘reboot system now’.

In other situations the flashing program can stop running right while the update operation is completed. If Odin gets stuck you will have to follow: close the program on your computer; additionally, close its related processes from Task Manager, under Processes (press Ctrl+Alt+Del for bringing Task Manager on your computer); disconnect your Galaxy Note 5 from your computer; force restart your Android based device; reinstall your phone’s drivers on your computer; repeat the update steps from the beginning.

Hopefully, you can now test and run the August 2018 Security Patch on your own Samsung Galaxy Note 5. After giving it a try, return here and share your experience and your thoughts with us and with the other users who are looking forward in updating their devices with the same firmware. Of course, if you have questions or if you need further info we will try to assist you as soon as possible. So, just use the comments field available below and we will be right here for you. Enjoy.